Category Archives: Corporate Business Solutions LLC

Corporate Business Solutionswas formed by a group of business professionals who have been involved in building some of the fastest growing analytical, management consulting and strategic tax planning companies in business today. We have now committed ourselves to a standard of quality in the delivery of consulting services never before seen in this marketplace.

There are many reasons why small to medium – size business owners opt to hire a consulting firm.If you’re considering partnering with us, here are details that may help with your decision:

Save time and money – A small business consultant can help you to develop strategies for making improvements on all fronts, including the areas where you may be lacking some expertise. In addition, if your venture is on the fast track for growth, a skilled consultant can provide insight that can enable you to seize new opportunities while avoiding common pitfalls that could derail your success.

Utilize expertise at the right time – Even if you would prefer to tackle all business matters personally, engaging an outside expert when especially complex or sensitive issues arise can be an extra measure to ensure problems receive proper attention and are thoroughly resolved. It also can be useful to have a third-party’s perspective on matters that require objectivity, or an “extra set of eyes” to verify that no mistakes have been made in a critical process.

Managing changing workloads – If you don’t have ample support to meet an increase in demand for your products or services, you could be at risk of disappointing your customers — and potentially damaging your business’s reputation. However, you also want to avoid hiring more staff until you are certain that workloads will be sustained. Bringing in a small business consultant is one staffing management approach for navigating the ebb and flow of supply and demand, as well as for meeting other unexpected changes that present both opportunity and risk for your company.

Grow for the future – Highly skilled senior-level professionals who work as our consultants can serve in a number of critical roles, from accounting manager to chief financial officer. There are also many ways for you to work with consultants as your small business evolves. Most important, perhaps, is that these resources can give you the valuable time needed to focus on what you do best: being an expert at whatever it is that led you to launch your own business in the first place.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutions has the experience, education and expertise necessary to access the valuable information business owners need to access change needed to facilitate growth.

Many successful business owners have relayed that a dangerous assumption in business today is treating social media like a side project. There are more than a few who are getting it wrong in the social media world, and social media etiquette is necessary now more than ever. Behold the myths, the missteps and the mistakes. Here are three social media marketing trends to avoid:

You Don’t Have to Talk to Everyone – Many business owners are embracing the concept of Customer Centricity to their social media outlook; being selective with their audience and curating data from custom made social media campaigns.This approach restricts usage to a specific area, like customer service. It’s very effective for businesses seeking more predictability and delivering results that can be measured with established tools.

Don’t Ignore LinkedIn- The social site, LinkedIn allows users to create company pages as a way to get more branding for your business. It also creates a presence for high level income earners on a social media network many are ignoring. While the trend is currently keeping a private profile, savvy business owners and executives are allowing for more exposure for themselves and their company. If you’re looking to get more exposure and target your products and services, LinkedIn Company Pages can help you do that.

Don’t Keep Each Social Media Channel Separate-While some companies are attempting to figure out one or two social media networks, such as Facebook and Google, savvy business owners are combining social media channels and monitoring the activity on a constant basis. Allocating money to raise awareness on multiple social media channels is essential to winning the war of your audience mindshare.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutions has had the opportunity to work with thousands of successful businessmen and women. By doing this, we have seen that one common characteristic of effective business professionals is that they are adept at seeing opportunities and recognizing what it takes to advance their careers.

There are always points in your career when you want to move forward, whether it’s staying competitive in your field or exploring a career change. Higher education can be a major driver in getting you where you want to go.

Here are three reasons why already-successful people decide to go back to school:

Growth – There are many employees who obtain an undergraduate degree that is only somewhat related to their career path. Or, as technology continues to evolve, the skills, tools or programs you learned years ago as an undergraduate may not be sufficient to maintain your position. If you like what you do and want to stay in your current position, you could go back to school to increase your skill set and your ability to do the job even better

Promotion – Becoming successful in your current position may give you an opportunity to advance at work, but that’s not always the case. A degree in a new or related field that adds to your individual skill set, or helps you learn management or leadership skills, can give an employer the assurance that you are ready and able to take on new responsibilities.

Career Change – Successful people may consider mid-career changes, whether for professional, personal or any other reason. Maybe you have accomplished a great deal in one career field, but another field seems more interesting or better aligned with your lifestyle. Going back to school could help you change your direction industry-wise, geography-wise, or satisfaction-wise, by re-directing the skills and experience you already have with new knowledge.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutions has the experience and education to help small to medium – size businesses grow in today’s marketplace. We often see employers set up new telecommuting options to help reduce office costs while giving savvy employees freedom and flexibility. Not only does the employer need to set up new protocols for telecommuting employees, but the employees must also acclimate to the newer role.

If you’re a telecommuting employee, we have general tips that may help you work more effectively:

Prioritize your day – Identify what must get done that day and do it!

Keep a regular routine – Shower and dress every day as if you were going to an actual office.This will help you stay motivated.

Create a comfortable space – Decide what you need to be comfortable and productive and create a home space that reflects that.From a comfortable desk chair to a book shelf, a place to hold meetings or a window to see the sun, investing in your work space can make a huge difference in your productivity.

Set working hours – Be clear on your working hours.Let your colleagues, associates and family know your hours of operation, and stick to them.

Use the cloud – You can upload important documents to a cloud storage service such as Dropbox or Google Drive.This allows you to log in from anywhere without having to worry about having your files with you.

Use Google+ Hangouts – While it’s ideal if you can occasionally meet in-person with co-workers, sometimes it’s not possible because teams are separated by geography. In that case, video chatting is the next best thing, with Google+ Hangouts being an excellent medium for doing it. You can meet with up to 10 people for free, unlike Skype in which at least one person in the group has to have a paid subscription for meetings between more than two people.

Enjoy your flexibility – Find your focus wavering? Take a break with a bike, ride, swim, or even by quitting work for the entire day.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutions helps small and medium – size business owners access information needed to attain growth. One trend that we see affecting the small business arena is the use of Google Places. If your business has an actual physical location, you can promote your location with Google Places, which enables you to get listed on Google Maps.

Here are some reasons why Google Places is important for your small business:

It’s free – The service is free from Google.You just need to set up your page.

Provides an online presence – If you have a small business and you don’t have a website, your Google Places listing can provide the details customers would need, such as address, contact details, hours of operation, etc.

Allows you to appear on Google search results – The focus here is on local searches and the results are therefore limited to your local area. So if a Google user is searching for a contractor in Chicago, then Google determines the user’s location and then provides all the contractors near them. The Google user can even check out your listing to learn more about you.

Your location will appear on Google Maps – For small businesses, this is a crucial advantage. Now your potential customers will know exactly where your office can be found. Google acts as a beacon for your would-would be customers to follow. In addition, even just getting your Google Map location on Google search results boosts awareness in your brand.

Receive business reviews – Reviews make your business more relevant, which boosts your ranking in search results. And when you view them objectively, these things tell you how to improve your business.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutionsunderstands that today’s business marketplace is ultra-competitive, which leads to many professionals constantly looking for great business opportunities. However, it’s very important that employees realize the significance of damaging their reputations and / or burning bridges. You never know where your path will take you and who you’ll meet (or see again) along the way!

If you’re planning on leaving your job in the near future, here are tips that may help ensure a positive parting:

Notify your boss in-person – Although every situation will vary, it is generally better to tell your boss in-person rather than sending an email or leaving a letter.

Give plenty of notice – A two-week notice is the norm, but employees with a specific skill set should give a more advanced warning.

Don’t feel obligated to give a reason – You don’t have to provide details of why you’re leaving or where you are going.However, if you and your boss have a good relationship, you may consider offering constructive criticism on how to make the employee atmosphere better.

Avoid emotional outbursts – Eventually, you may need an endorsement from your manager.Launching into a tirade may feel good for the moment but it can definitely come back to haunt you later.

Don’t leave your employer in a bind – If you’re in the midst of an important project, you may want to consider staying longer to finish your original commitments.

Finish with a strong performance – Not only may you need an endorsement from your boss but you may need a positive reference from a co-worker.Therefore, you always want to finish a job with motivation and integrity.

Keep colleagues updated – It’s always best to let your co-workers know in advance, so they’re not stunned with an empty chair in your absence.

Show gratitude – Be sure to thank any individuals who were instrumental in your success. You can verbally thank them or write them a personal letter and detail how the relationship impacted you in a positive way.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.

The experience, expertise and knowledge behind Corporate Business Solutions allows usto effectively help small and medium – size businesses access information needed for growth.Business owners often must scout for new locations, whether they’re opening a second storefront, upgrading or downsizing.For those of you looking to find a new business location, we have tips that may help you:

The type of operation – Your location should be consistent with your particular style and image. For example, if your business is retailing, decide if you want a traditional store or if you prefer operating from a kiosk (or booth) in a mall or a cart that you can move to various locations.

Business demographics – There are two important angles to the issue of demographics. First, consider who your customers are and how important their proximity to your location is. Then take a look at the community. If your customer base is local, does a sufficient percentage of that population match your customer profile to support your business? Does the community have a stable economic base that will provide a healthy environment for your business? Be cautious when considering communities that are largely dependent on a particular industry for their economy; a downturn could be bad for business.

Foot traffic- For most retail businesses, foot traffic is extremely important. You don’t want to be tucked away in a corner where shoppers are likely to bypass you, and even the best retail areas have dead spots. By contrast, if your business requires confidentiality, you may not want to be located in a high-traffic area.

Accessibility and parking – Consider how accessible the facility will be for everyone who’ll be using it—customers, employees, and suppliers. If you’re on a busy street, how easy is it for cars to get in and out of your parking lot?

Proximity to other businesses and services – Take a look at what other businesses and services are in the vicinity from two key perspectives. First, see if you can benefit from nearby businesses—by the customer traffic they generate—because those companies and their employees could become your customers, or because it may be convenient and efficient for you to be their customer. Second, look at how they’ll enrich the quality of your company as a workplace.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.

At Corporate Business Solutions , we have the expertise to help your small to medium – size business access the knowledge that is often needed to achieve success, including utilizing information systems.

We realize that information systems have a huge impact on how accounting is done and what reports are generated. Not only are accounting tasks performed at a high speed, they are also made easy to do for most businesses. Calculations are done automatically with fewer errors than manual accounting, greatly improving efficiency.

Spreadsheets – Excel and other spreadsheets are used regularly by professionals to analyze data and perform complex computations and modeling. Changing columns and rows and having calculations update automatically with the new information has drastically reduced time spent on grueling calculations.

Specialized Accounting Software – A trend in programming practices is to target certain industries and make entire programs customized for those industries. The result is entire systems made with tools specific to certain sectors, such as retail, non-profit or manufacturing. That makes computerized accounting fast to set up and use. Instead of waiting for a programmer to develop your software, you can buy one off the shelf that is about 90 percent good for your purposes and requires only minimal customization.

Risks- Information systems help with speed and accuracy, but there is still room for human error. If incorrect information is entered, the system may not catch it. Errors and fraud still happen in accounting and internal controls are needed to prevent or detect these risks. A computerized system should have secure access to avoid unauthorized use; management must review reconciliations to make sure they are reasonable and accurate; and payments should be made only on approved bills to avoid fraud and errors.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.

The professionals at Corporate Business Solutions recognize that accounts receivables are critical to maintaining and growing a business. Therefore, we work with small and medium – size businesses throughout the country to help improve upon procedures for accounts receivables.

If you’re a business owner looking to reduce your delinquent accounts, we have tips that may help you:

Get Organized – If you are going to excel at accounts receivable management, you have to start from the very beginning. Be diligent in every step of the process but, most importantly, in whom you extend credit to. Net terms aren’t for everyone. Start by setting up a professional credit application that gives you a chance to get as much info as you can on these customers. Use this info to vet them so you are making proper credit decisions.

Use the Credit Limit –Start extending more moderate terms with customers and let them know they can work their way up to more flexible terms. Not only is this an incentive but it allows you to really get to know customers’ payment habits before you give them too much room to breathe. It’s without a doubt the best way in accounts receivable management to ensure a customer will practice proper payment behavior.

Creatively Communicate – Technology has allowed the customer relationship management game to completely transform. CRM is actually one of the most, if not the most important part of accounts receivable management. If you have a strong and healthy relationship with a client, they are not going to want to risk that. Be creative in how you connect with clients. If you are on social media, be sure to follow them on every medium, constantly commenting on their updates and showing them that you are listening. Also take note of your customers’ special occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, store openings, launches, etc. By doing this, you create an emotional connection between you and your customer, making it harder for them to take advantage of your relationship with them.

Start Early –Create a system that allows you to remind customers when they have a payment around the corner. If it is a week before payment is due, and you still haven’t received the check, shoot the customer a friendly reminder email simply reiterating the due date and how you accept payment. Don’t make it harsh in anyway; they haven’t paid late yet!

Don’t Wait –As soon as the payment is past due, get a reminder letter in the mail. However, don’t just use a generic letter. Be creative in your accounts receivable management and sculpt the letter’s language to be appropriate for the situation. If somebody is a chronic late-payer, you might want to up the severity, where if it’s someone’s first time offense, keep it friendly. Remember, the longer you wait to collect, the harder it is. Develop a system to quickly go after late payments as soon as the due date has passed.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.

The professionals at Corporate Business Solutions utilize our knowledge, experience, technology, and an unrivaled commitment to providing client service to help bring about positive change in small to medium-size businesses. Our business consultants have helped a number of contractor clients improve upon their bidding processes, which ultimately increases their bid to award ratios.

In the modern-day marketplace, many project owners are looking for more than just the lowest bidder.Instead, they are analyzing price along with the reputation of the bidder. If you want to increase your chances of winning more profitable jobs, consider implementing some of these business tips:

Marketing plan – Companies who invest in their futures make more money than those who don’t. Create an image, logo and marketing materials to build an impression of who you are, what you stand for and what you specialize in.

Expertise, specialty or niche – Successful companies are known for being the best at something. Some are known for project types, difficult jobs, fast track or design-build. To be the best, your customer must know what you specialize in. Let them know and tell them again and again.

Time and place is everything – Estimators are more than price givers. They are in the sales business and spend lots of time with their customers. To be at the right place at the right time, you must be in your customer’s office regularly.

Expand your sales skills – To win great jobs takes professionalism, knowledge and confidence. Firms who are awarded more jobs are well trained in sales and presentation skills, and they show up at the project interview with their team rehearsed and ready to impress.

Involved in industry and community- Successful companies are seen by everyone, everywhere. They are active in their industry associations and community organizations. They serve on boards of directors and give time and money to make things better.

Technology – Industry leaders often use the latest tools, techniques and technology to stay ahead of and lead their customers. They show the future to their customers instead of complaining about changing.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us at 877-357-9366.